The Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade inspects Ain Sokhna Port and follows up on the progress of the joint inspection system. He inspected the joint inspection committees to ascertain the latest developments in the application of the integrated customs clearance system.
Al-Khatib: Our goal is to completely eliminate bureaucracy and multiple procedures to serve investors and facilitate trade. Engineer Hassan Al-Khatib, Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade, conducted an inspection tour of Ain Sokhna Port, which comes within the framework of monitoring the workflow in Egyptian ports during weekly holidays and official vacations.
The Minister was accompanied during the inspection tour by Dr. Walid Gamal El-Din, Chairman of the General Authority for the Suez Canal Economic Zone, Mr. Hossam Heiba, Chairman of the General Authority for Investment and Free Zones, Engineer Essam El-Naggar, Chairman of the General Authority for Export and Import Control, Mr. Sherif El-Kilani, Deputy Minister of Finance for Tax Policies, Mr. Ahmed Amoui, Head of the Customs Authority, and a number of leaders from the Ministry of Investment and Foreign Trade.
The Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade watched a presentation from DP World on the most important measures taken to develop the customs clearance system for goods and reduce the time required for customs clearance at the port. The development procedures also included the establishment of a joint risk management system that includes all entities involved in dealing with the customs system to expedite the release of imported goods.
The export process and development procedures included the mechanization of the improved export cycle to encompass all entities involved in exporting and integration with all shipping lines, shipping agencies, and container terminals and yards.
The Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade held a dialogue with investors and listened to their suggestions and vision regarding the development procedures within the ports, which contribute to accelerating and facilitating customs clearance procedures. They praised the development procedures implemented during the past year, which contributed to shortening the customs clearance time, thus speeding up the entry of goods and saving them costs and time. This will increase investments and will have a positive impact on international companies expanding their investments during the next phase. During his tour, the Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade inspected the joint inspection committees to ascertain the latest developments in the application of the integrated customs clearance system. The integrated work mechanism in the yards was also monitored, where all regulatory bodies meet to complete all procedures on shipments at once, from inspection and valuation to examination, in a practical and effective manner.
The Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade affirmed that the strategic goal is “to completely eliminate bureaucracy and multiple procedures, break down barriers between government agencies, and unite them under one goal to serve the investor and facilitate trade,” praising the integration between all entities, which represents the cornerstone of the state’s strategy to reduce customs clearance time. He said, “Seeing all parties working together as one team here is a source of pride, directly implementing and reflecting the decision of the Prime Minister to work continuously without interruption throughout the week, including weekends and official holidays. This ensures maximum efficiency in trade movement and confirms the concerted efforts to achieve world-class clearance rates.”
The Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade affirmed that the continuous monitoring of workflow aims to guarantee the sustainability of outstanding performance and overcome any challenges that may arise, in order to preserve the gains achieved in reducing the time and cost of clearing shipments.
